Types of prison sentences

Life sentences

If a person’s found guilty of murder, a court must give them a life sentence.

A court may choose to give a life sentence for serious offences like:

• rape
• armed robbery

A life sentence lasts for the rest of a person’s life – if they’re released from prison and commit another crime they can be sent back to prison at any time.

Whole life term

A whole life term means there’s no minimum term set by the judge, and the person’s never considered for release.

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